Friday, March 22, 2013

This contribution was
posted in Education Week on March 7, 2013.
Heather Singmaster grew up in Ripon, Wisconsin, and is a graduate of Ripon High
School.

By Heather Singmaster

It
is no secret that Americans lag behind in learning foreign languages despite
urgent calls from the business and national security sectors. Yet it is barely
a part of our policy discussion here—much to our detriment.

In
other countries, this conversation is not only happening, it is a prominent
part of the national discourse. Why? They see foreign language as key to
economic development, even if their first language is English. They
don't feel they can rely on their native tongue alone—nor should we.

A
Continuing Discourse
Australia has had an ongoing conversation about the need for students to study
Asian languages. The latest development happened last November, when Australian
Prime Minister Julia Gillard released the Asian Century white paper, listing
key goals to allow the country to take advantage of nearby Asian markets.
The paper calls for
students to be given the opportunity to study one of four languages throughout
their entire school career: Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian, and
Japanese.

A
flurry of articles met this call, with most experts agreeing with the
reasoning, but citing huge obstacles, including the US$1billion price tag for
implementing such a requirement for just half of Australia.

Adelaide University Asian studies expert Kent Anderson says this would be a
tall order, but a crucial one: ''what is really important about learning a
language is learning empathy for someone else, and learning empathy for another
culture. You are able to understand, which will make you a better business
person and makes it easier to have longer-term relationships.''

Meanwhile, former
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called on businesses to set quotas on the
number of employees they hire who can speak an Asian language, reasoning that
this would encourage students to learn them. (Incidentally, he announced this
idea in a speech in China, delivered in fluent Mandarin.)

In Scotland, a
recent study by the
British Council showed a decline in foreign language study as well as a
tendency of Scottish companies to only export to English speaking countries.
Not wanting to miss out on economic opportunities, the Scottish government is
responding with an examination of their foreign language requirements.
Currently study of a second language is required beginning in grade six, but a new proposal would change this to
grade one—allowing students to start a third language in grade five.

When examining the
change to the policy, two issues are being considered: capacity of the
curriculum and the role of languages in supporting the economy. Minister for
Learning Alasdair Allan said: "This government has set an ambitious target
to increase the value of our international exports by 50% by 2017, and ensuring
our workforce has the right skills to compete internationally will play an
important role in achieving this." He continues, "This is why we are
committed to reinvigorating language learning and helping more Scottish pupils
learn a second language such as French, German, Spanish or Chinese in primary
school."

Language RequiredNeighboring England, in response to a study showing their
students are less likely to study a second language to a decent level compared
to their European peers, will require
all English primary students to learn a second language starting in
2014. Schools have the choice of offering one of seven languages: French,
German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Latin, and ancient Greek. Elizabeth Truss,
the Education Minister, said: "We must give young people the opportunities
they need to compete in a global jobs market—fluency in a foreign language will
now be another asset our school leavers and graduates will be able to
boast."

Similarly, in
Czechoslovakia, students are currently required to take a second language
beginning in third grade (most take English). A third language used to be
optional, however the government announced in
January that it is now mandatory, beginning in eighth grade or earlier.

Expanding the
ConversationIn most Asian countries, children begin learning a second
language, usually English, in the primary grades. That doesn't necessarily mean
that parents are satisfied. In Japan, a recent study showed that 90% of parents just aren't happy with their
children's English language classes. Parents feel their children aren't gaining
enough practical language knowledge and they lack the opportunity to actually
speak in class. The study showed that parents are highly supportive of learning
a second language and producing globally competent students: "93.6 of
parents want their children to have a global viewpoint and 83.3% want their
children to be globally competitive."

Similarly in China,
students may be learning English in school starting in grade three, but many
parents feel this isn't enough. Students are sent to expensive centers for
learning English after school and increasingly, students in middle and high
school are being sent to the United States to study. According to China Daily, 65 middle school aged
children studied in the U.S. in 2005, that number increased to 6,725 in 2010.
Parents feel their students will need to be able to compete internationally
when they grow up and therefore need a global outlook.

With all of these
conversations happening around the world, can Americans afford to continue to
turn a deaf ear?

Thursday, March 21, 2013

There’s
a good reason that there are four downs in football. Even if a player gets
tackled on the one-yard line, there are still three chances to get across the
goal line and score a touchdown. Players must be persistent and keep trying,
and a good team often makes it.

It’s
the same way in life. As long as you try hard, and as long as you are
persistent, you can almost always find a way to be successful. Persistence in
life – as in football – is not just about being stubborn and refusing to quit.
While those are necessary elements, persistence is more than that.

Persistence
is not always running headlong into a brick wall and expecting to go
through. It is sometimes pausing and
calling a time out, so you can refocus your thinking and come up with a new
plan. Maybe you can go around that brick wall. Maybe you can jump over it. Or
maybe you can just throw something over the wall and catch it on the other
side.

Persistence
is about keeping your eye on the ball, on the goal that you want to achieve, at
all times. It is about focus and determination, and sometimes trying something
new, just before time runs out. Just when you think you may never succeed, you
break through the line and score.

Persistence
is not just about being strong and not giving up. It is also about using the
gifts you have been given to reach your own goals.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

What’s
Right in the School District of Janesville (SDJ) is a forum to recognize
outstanding performances and achievements by SDJ employees, students and
schools. Each week, between now and the end of the school year, SDJ will focus
on positive achievements from a specific school.

Wisconsin Title I High Progress Award

Jackson Elementary School students’ performance demonstrates significant improvement
over the past year. To be eligible for
this award, a school must be receiving Title I and must: earn a rating of Meeting
Expectations, Exceeding Expectations, or Significantly Exceeding Expectations
on the WI School Report Card, fall within the top 10% of schools experiencing
student growth in reading and mathematics, have a minimal achievement gap or
show evidence of reducing gaps between student subgroups and meet test
participation, absenteeism and dropout goals.

Great Job Jackson Elementary Students and Staff!

Jackson 3rd grade
students in Mrs. MacFarlane’s classroom just completed a poetry unit. The culminating event featured all third
grade students presenting their poetry in front of an audience. Students did a fantastic job!

4th grade students
working with Mrs. Kerrie Tisdale have been working very diligently on a Shakespeare
Readers Theatre play!
Hedberg Public Library and Jackson Elementary Team Up!

On February 26th,
fifth grade students and Miss Forst teamed up with Mrs. Sharon Grover of the
Hedberg Public Library to begin a new journey with books. Students were invited to join Mrs. Grover and
Miss Forst for lunch and to talk about books.
Initially, 8 students expressed an interest in joining this new book
club. When the day came, 16 students
showed up and openly discussed what they would like to see in the club. Jackson’s first book was Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

A
survey of teachers who instruct American middle and secondary school students
finds that digital technologies have become central to their teaching and
professionalization. At the same time, the internet, mobile phones, and social
media have brought new challenges to teachers, and they report striking
differences in access to the latest digital technologies between lower and
higher income students and school districts.

Asked
about the impact of the internet and digital tools in their role as middle and
high school educators, these teachers say the following about the overall
impact on their teaching and their classroom work:

·92% of these teachers
say the internet has a “major impact” on their ability to access content, resources,
and materials for their teaching

·69% say the internet
has a “major impact” on their ability to share ideas with other teachers

·67% say the internet
has a “major impact” on their ability to interact with parents and 57% say it
has had such an impact on enabling their interaction with students

The
survey finds that digital tools are widely used in classrooms and assignments,
and a majority of these teachers are satisfied with the support and resources
they receive from their school in this area. However, it also indicates that
teachers of the lowest income students face more challenges in bringing these
tools to their classrooms:

·Mobile technology has
become central to the learning process, with 73% of AP and NWP teachers saying
that they and/or their students use their cell phones in the classroom or to
complete assignments

·More than four in ten
teachers report the use of e-readers (45%) and tablet computers (43%) in their
classrooms or to complete assignments

·62% say their school
does a “good job” supporting teachers’ efforts to bring digital tools into the
learning process, and 68% say their school provides formal training in this
area

·Teachers of low income
students, however, are much less likely than teachers of the highest income
students to use tablet computers (37% v. 56%) or e-readers (41% v. 55%) in
their classrooms and assignments

·Similarly, just over
half (52%) of teachers of upper and upper-middle income students say their
students use cell phones to look up information in class, compared with 35% of
teachers of the lowest income students

·Just 15% of AP and NWP
teachers whose students are from upper income households say their school is
“behind the curve” in effectively using digital tools in the learning process;
39% who teach students from low income households describe their school as
“behind the curve”

·70% of teachers of the
highest income students say their school does a “good job” providing the
resources needed to bring digital tools into the classroom; the same is true of
50% of teachers working in low income areas

·Teachers of the lowest
income students are more than twice as likely as teachers of the highest income
students (56% v. 21%) to say that students’ lack of access to digital
technologies is a “major challenge” to incorporating more digital tools into
their teaching

Monday, March 18, 2013

To stay consistent with our
focus on transparency, I believe that it is important to keep district staff
and the community up-to-date on the decisions that are being made. I will be reporting
each Monday, through this blog, on the important events that occurred the
previous week in a series titled “The
Superintendent Chronicle: A Week
in Review”. This blog reviews what was a high priority for me the week
before and explains the “why” behind important district decisions.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Janesville Alumni Association

Logo Contest

The Janesville Alumni Association
works to strengthen and maintain the connection between the School District of
Janesville and its graduates by informing them of District accomplishments and
goals and offering a medium to plan special events/reunions and encourage
alumni interaction and communication.

The purpose of an
alumni committee is to foster a spirit of loyalty and to promote the general
welfare of the organization.Alumni
associations exist to support the parent organization’s goals, and to
strengthen the ties between alumni, the community, and the parent organization.

The
Janesville Alumni Association will conduct a contest to create a logo that
depicts the purpose of the organization.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

What’s
Right in the School District of Janesville (SDJ) is a forum to recognize
outstanding performances and achievements by SDJ employees, students and
schools. Each week, between now and the end of the school year, SDJ will focus
on positive achievements from a specific school.

Washington PTA Collects for FRC Program!

The
Washington PTA held an annual Family Fun Night and collected 3 large boxes of
toiletry items to support the FRC program to provide these items to needy
families.

Washington Singers Perform at JPAC!

The Washington Singers and
Director Brian Knutson performed during the intermission of a professional
performance at JPAC on February 9th. This is a very big honor and
the students did so well that they were asked to perform in Whitewater later
this year!

Washington Staff Attends CREATE Classes!

The
Washington PBIS team is researching culturally responsible classroom management
strategies to add to their tool kits, using information they learned at a
CREATE class they attended in Sun Prairie.

Students Learning in Fun and
Interactive Ways!

Washington
teachers are reinforcing learning through interactive, fun lessons. Two recent
examples: Mrs. Stengel’s students used fishing poles to “fish for words,” and
Mrs. Hintz’s students performed “heart surgery” in physical education classes.

Donation Allows Harrison Principal to
Attend Conference!

A donation
was made to sponsor Jessica Grandt’s attendance at the National Chinese
Language Conference in April. She had given up her spot so that a teacher could
attend in her place. The donor felt it was critical for Jessica to attend as
well, so they paid to allow that to happen.

Fifth Grade Students Reach Impressive
Milestones!

100% of fifth grade students increased reading
stamina during the second trimester based on reading conferences.

100% of fifth grade students engaged in meaningful
discussions relating to stories, art, and history at the Art Institute of
Chicago.

Harrison PTO Sponsors Fifth Grade Trip
to Chicago

The
Harrison PTO sponsored Tamie Burke’s and Eric Wahl’s fifth grade class trip to
Chicago on February 5th. The
students went on a docent-guided tour of the Chicago Art Institute and then saw
a production of Peter Pan at the
Cadillac Palace Theatre.

Harrison Celebrates the Chinese New
Year!

On February 12, Harrison School celebrated the
Chinese New Year with a school-wide parade. This is the year of the snake, but
students carried signs with all twelve symbols of the Zodiac. There was a
dragon and students played traditional Chinese instruments. The students also
handed out red envelopes and candy to those watching the parade. In China, it
is customary that these envelopes contain money from the older generation.

Monday, March 11, 2013

To stay consistent with our focus on
transparency, I believe that it is important to keep district staff and the
community up-to-date on the decisions that are being made. I will be reporting
each Monday, through this blog, on the important events that occurred the
previous week in a series titled “The Superintendent Chronicle: A Week in
Review”. This blog reviews what was a high priority for me the week before and
explains the “why” behind important district decisions.

Superintendent Schulte and CIO Smiley picked up our
visiting teachers from China last week and spent time helping them acclimate to
our country.

Our first meeting with our visiting Chinese teachers
got off to a positive start. Julie De Cook, Shawn Galvin, Steven Long,
Jesse Hou, and Steve Pease met at the Helen Jeffris museum. The
partnership holds much promise. Here are the Expectations and
Questions generated from our first meeting.

Expectations
expressed by the Chinese and Janesville Teams

Learn from each other, human to human.

Learn how education works in our two cultures.

Communication and improving our knowledge of
respective cultures to bring down barriers.

Gain understanding to help in construction of the
model classroom to be built in China, modeling Kennedy Elementary School.

Learn what one American classroom looks like, with
the understanding that both the American and Chinese teams represent one school
district, not a nation.

Observe and learn ways to include disabled students
and differentiate for gifted students, including insights into curriculum
creation.

Gain fluency in English, while feeling free to
converse in Chinese with each other.

Gather ideas for educating students in the Arts

Questions
asked by the Chinese and Janesville Teams

May we observe students’ opportunities
to work in and use school libraries?

How do Americans promote leisure time
reading?

What does the School District of
Janesville need to build stronger connections with our Chinese partners?

How can we build stronger
teacher-to-teacher and student-to-student connections?

How can Chinese insights into Math
instruction help Janesville educators and students?

What can be learned and done to aid in
preparation of Chinese students visiting here in summer, knowing that travel
here involves 2 months of advance planning

May the Chinese visiting teachers visit
high school and Universities?(YES)

Thursday, March 7, 2013

An Employee Assistance Program (also called an EAP)
is an employer‐sponsored program designed to assist
employees with job‐related stress,
personal problems or family issues.

How does the District’s EAP work?

Janesville Psychiatric Clinic is our EAP provider.
They are a counseling center that provides a wide range of services for all
ages. The school district’s plan will pay for up to three sessions with a
certified counselor from Janesville Psychiatric Clinic. The goal of these
sessions is to determine if a mental health issue is present and to assist the
client in obtaining treatment.

Will my supervisor know I have used the
EAP?

Absolutely not. Use of the EAP is completely
confidential. Janesville Psychiatric Clinic does not release any information
about participants to the district.

Who can use the EAP?

All employees of the school district as well as
their spouses and children. You do not have to be a fulltime employee or carry
our health insurance to use the EAP.

How do I access the Employee Assistance
Program?

You can make an appointment for a consultation with
Janesville Psychiatric Clinic by calling them. Their phone number is 755‐1475.
Tell them you work for the School District of Janesville and would like to use
our Employee Assistance Program.

Does this affect my health insurance
benefits with the District?

Taking advantage of the EAP program does not access
health insurance benefits whatsoever. This service is provided by the district
and offered to everyone regardless of insurance coverage.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

What’s Right
in the School District of Janesville (SDJ) is a forum to recognize outstanding
performances and achievements by SDJ employees, students and schools.

Craig Engineering Club and Advisor/Teacher Jeff
Leider

The Craig
Engineering Club took first place at the Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC)
Rube Goldberg Machine Regional Contest, registering the best showing they have ever
had. They also received the "Most Rube-like Award" and $925 in
winnings! The prize money will pay their entry fee and bussing for future
contests. In addition, the club will donate a portion of their winnings.

According to Mr.
Leider, the group had great, experienced, senior leadership this year.
Many students helped design and build the machine, in particular, Drew Overly
and Keegan Leekey.Lorin Cox and Lee
Ping Ong did an excellent job presenting the machine to the judges.

The Craig Engineering Club will compete at the National Competition on March
16th at WCTC.

Craig
High School Spotlighters Show Choir Compete at “Extravaganza Show Choir
Invitational”

On Saturday March 2nd, the Craig Spotlighters competed in the
Emmetsburg (IA) Extravaganza Show Choir Invitational. The Spotlighters won the
following awards:

1st Runners-up: Craig "Spotlighters"

Best Vocals: Craig "Spotlighters"

Best Choreography: Craig "Spotlighters"

Best Band: Craig "Spotlighters"

Best Female Soloist: Chandler Cook, Craig
"Spotlighters"

The Spotlighters
will travel to Cedar Rapids Washington High School on Saturday, March 9 for the
MO Show - Show Choir Invitational. The Cedar Rapids trip will mark the end of
the competition season for the Spotlighters. The final Spotlighter performance
of the year will be held on Tuesday, March 12 at 7:30 in the Craig Large
Auditorium.

Parker Girls’ Basketball WIAA Sectional
Ticket Pre-Sale Information

The Parker High School girls’ basketball team will host a WIAA
sectional semifinal game versus Mukwonago at Parker High School on Thursday,
March 7 at 7 p.m.

Pre-sale tickets for this sectional semifinal are being sold
through the Parker athletic office from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March
6 and from 7:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, March 7 or until the tickets sell
out. All tickets are $4. The Parker gymnasium will open at 6 p.m. on Thursday. The winner of
the Thursday sectional game will play in the Middleton sectional championship
on Saturday, March 9, 2013.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

E-readers are amazing. They are like
personal electronic libraries, because they can hold so much reading material.
Vacations use to be times when people packed a separate bag just for their
reading materials. Now a Kindle, Sony Book Reader or Nook, can carry
your whole library – no bag required.

Most e-readers are small, about the size and weight
of a paperback book (6 inches of reading space). While traditional
paper books can be bought or borrowed from libraries and or friends, e-books
arrive on e-readers through an internet connection or cellular connection.

So why should educators be interested in e-readers?
First of all it is one small device that can contain so many books! Students
would not have to worry about making sure they grabbed a correct book, or
carrying around a ten pound science book. Second, because the text is
electronic, it can be searched, bookmarked, notes can be taken, words can be
defined, some e-readers allow the text to be read out loud, comments to be
shared and many have a new feature called X-ray.

Most people equate the term X-ray as medical method
for “seeing” inside the body; to see beyond what it on the surface. The same
principle is true of X-ray in an electronic book. X-ray highlights where the
characters appear, important terms and reference information. X-ray allows the
users to look for specific information on a page, chapter or the book as a
whole. The X-ray feature assists the reader in making connections, such as correlations
of events.

Educators assist students not only in learning
content but also in learning how to make connects in terms of vocabulary, plot,
historical perceptive and so on. With tools such as e-readers, students can
have a host of reference materials at their fingers tips to lead them down a
variety of paths. Making connections between history, science, the economy and
other disciplines are essential in our global society. Our world is full
of information, and e-readers can help students and educators sift through
these enormous libraries, learning quicker and more efficiently.